


First Steps in the Ocean

by thegreendaleseven



Series: The Grand Adventure [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Post-Games, asexual Ike
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-09 03:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13472373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreendaleseven/pseuds/thegreendaleseven
Summary: Post-Radiant Dawn. Ike and Soren have departed from Tellius. The first break of their adventure is taken by the ocean side.





	First Steps in the Ocean

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a self-indulgent one-shot that I hope to turn into a series. I really just wanted something with Ike and Soren on the beach. It turned a little sadder than expected, but it takes a nice turn. Hope you enjoy!

Ike had developed patience for many situations, but he had yet to conquer the restlessness that came with being at sea. Though the strength of the ocean amazed him, the endless blue bored him rather quickly. Everything was out of his hands out here, which was pleasant for a time, but after a week aboard the ship, he was ready for land.

 

He was currently pacing along the upper deck of the ship. Thankfully, the ship was small but wide, so he managed to avoid bumping shoulders with the crew. Soren had been up with him, but he went down to their room to occupy himself. Ike was sure that Soren actually enjoyed sailing, but with the lack of an impending threat and no budget to oversee, the days dragged on for him, too.

 

So when he saw an expansive stretch of beach appear on the horizon, Ike yelled to the captain to sail there, not caring if it was a small island.

 

“We should care if it’s an island, Ike,” Soren said after Ike ran down to inform him. “I didn’t pay the crew to stay while we investigate. I’m certain they’ll prepare to leave for Tellius tomorrow.”

 

“But this is the first bit of land we’ve seen, Soren. We won’t know if anything’s an island or a continent unless we go explore it.”

 

Soren remained silent. Ike was more than ready to depart from the ship, but he could understand Soren’s hesitations. “Would it be better if—”

 

“No, you’re right. None of my research yielded any information of other continents. No matter where we go, it’s unknown. If you’re prepared to go, then I will go with you.”

 

Ike knew it would be impossible to sway Soren’s opinion after that, but Ike wished he would say what he wanted. He gave into him so often; he feared that Soren neglected his own needs to satisfy his.

 

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. They needed to pack their things. Not that it took them long. Both traveled light, all their belongings filling three rucksacks, and they both knew how to keep their space tidy. The room they had on the ship was smaller than the tents they slept in during the wars, so they did not have the space to be messy. Packing at a purposely slow space only took them a few minutes. Once they were done, the pair went back above deck.

 

They were approaching a dock that Ike had not noticed. The boat was small, but the dock looked shorter. The sail had been lowered and they coasting towards it.

 

“This is gonna be a quick stop,” said a member of the crew as she passed Ike. “The wind’s blowing back to Tellius, so we can’t wait. The captain wants to know if you’re sure you want to stop.”

 

Ike glanced over at Soren, leaning against the railing, staring out at the water. His face was calm, smoothed into a neutral expression, frown and worry lines absent. Whether it was genuine or fake, Soren looked like he was here because he wanted to be, not only to follow him.

 

“Tell him we’re sure,” said Ike, eyes still focused on Soren.

 

The woman walked away briskly to deliver his message. Ike walked over to stand next to Soren. Now that the dock was quickly approaching, Ike could see that the dock was elevated, almost at level with the ship. The ship could only be a few feet higher, he figured. The dock connected to a grassy area, which turned into a steep hill that led to a beach.

 

The ship started to turn, but it wasn’t slowing down. The two exchanged a look before glancing around at the crew, noticing that no one was readying the anchor. In fact, besides the man at the wheel, no one looked particularly hurried. Ike and Soren looked at each other again.

 

“Sorry about this,” said the woman, hurrying back over to them. “The captain says we can’t afford to stop. You’ll have to jump onto the dock. He says we’ll go slow enough that you can do it. Personally,” she started to whisper, leaning in towards them, “I think he’s scared. Not as adventurous in his old age. Good luck, sirs.”

 

Ike nodded in thanks, turning his attention back to the dock that was only a few hundred feet away. He clutched the straps of the two bags he carried. “Are you ready for this?”

 

Soren scoffed as he adjusted the bag on his own back. “I should’ve found a crew that cared a little more about not killing the great hero of Tellius.”

 

“We won’t die, Soren. We’ve survived worse than this. If we can get into Gallia, we can make this jump.”

 

“I don’t know if I can swim.”

 

Ike, who was partially straddling the railing in preparation for the jump, paused. He reached over to grab Soren’s shoulder. “I can. If it comes to that, I’ll keep you alive.”

 

Soren flashed a small smile before swinging a leg over the railing. “You always do.”

 

Ike squeezed his shoulder. He brought his other leg over, standing on the narrow ledge of the ship, hands behind him, grasping the rail. Soren looked ready for the imminent leap. “Okay, we’ll go on three. One… two… three!”

 

Without hesitation, they both jumped.

 

Sighing with relief, Ike opened his eyes, not realizing how they had been clenched shut. Soren, thankfully, was still next to him—Ike would’ve jumped in for him, but it had been years since he’d last swam—exhaling his own held breath. Ike turned to look at the ship, the sail already brought up, heading back to Tellius. How appropriate, Ike thought, to have such a jarring departure from the ship. Going into the unknown shouldn’t be simple. Otherwise, it would’ve been done before.

 

“Where shall we start?” asked Soren.

 

Ike let out a short laugh. The start of their journey was both overly exciting and anti-climatic. It was just the two of them. There didn’t appear to be a nearby village. They had a few days’ worth of food and the supplies to sleep outdoors. Ike was in no rush to get anywhere.

 

“How about that beach?” He gestured to the beach at the bottom of the hill.

 

Soren nodded, and they made their way down the steep, grassy hill. The weather was turning overcast. They most likely had only a couple hours of daylight left.

 

Once there, Ike dropped the two bags he had and inhaled, taking in the smell of salt and sand. The tide was coming in. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this close to the ocean. What he could remember was his father teaching him how to swim: the surge of cold when the water was up to his waist, his father’s laugh as he let out a shocked shriek. Some of the details were foggy. Had this been in Crimea or Gallia? He wasn’t sure.

 

Ike undid his cape, letting it fall into a heap. He sat down and started taking off his boots. “Have you ever been in the ocean, Soren?”

 

Soren shook his head, putting down his supplies and sitting next to him. “I haven’t. I… have had an aversion to the sea.”

 

He didn’t say anything else, but Ike sensed there was a story behind the statement. With Soren’s past, there usually was one. He was still opening up to him, and despite how horrific the stories were, Ike would gladly bear the burden of his past with him. While he wished he had reached the point where he had heard them all, he would wait, no matter how long it took.

 

He offered no words—after all this time, Soren had a permanent invitation to open up—and instead he placed a hand on top of Soren’s, grasping it slowly. Soren turned his head toward Ike, hair obscuring his face.

 

“You remember the old sage who took me in?” Before Ike could confirm, Soren was already continuing, “He had some unorthodox training methods. When he thought I was a spirit charmer, he theorized that any danger to my life would raise the potential of my power.”

 

Ike squeezed his hand, his stomach twisting.

 

“There were times when he forced my head into a full tub of water. I would try to fight him, but I was too young, too weak. Once my vision started to darken and my body slowed down, he would let up. He would kick over the tub and rave over my failure. Surely, the spirit would interfere, would want me to live. He died shortly after, so these attempts only happened three or four times.”

 

It was the way he told the stories that upset Ike. He knew Soren could be emotional, but when he talked about his past, he shut it all down. It was like the two of them were discussing the budget. Ike never knew what to offer him for comfort. Hugs, kind words, reassurances that he’d never leave him; Ike would gladly provide these. There was no punishment to give out. The people of Soren’s past were merely ghosts now. The best thing he could do was try to banish them.

 

“I’m sorry this happened to you. It’s never affected your bathing, has it?”

 

Soren wrinkled his nose. “Certainly not. I’m just wary of being completely submerged in it.”

 

Ike nodded, interlocking his fingers with Soren’s. “I have an idea, but I only want you to do it if you’re comfortable.”

 

Soren looked at their hands, then at Ike’s face. “I can’t imagine I’ll be against it. What is it?”

 

“If you take off your boots, we could step into the water. Not to swim, just to walk around.”

 

Pulling his hand away, Soren removed his boots and rolled up his pant legs to his knees. Ike, smiling, pushed up his as well.

 

The two rose and walked to the water. Tentatively, they stood at the edge of the tide, the waves lapping over their feet. Soren jumped back at the chill. Ike laughed, tilting his head up to look at the sky. Scoffing, Soren lightly kicked in Ike’s direction, water landing on his clothes. Sill chuckling, he retaliated, splashing Soren’s gray robe.

 

“Is this alright? Want to walk out more?”

 

Soren nodded, holding out a hand. Ike grabbed it and together they stepped forward coming to a stop when the water reached Soren’s knees. They stood there, holding hands, until they couldn’t feel their legs. It was starting to get dark and they still needed to ready their camping gear, but they moved at a steady pace with smiles on their faces. The future was uncertain, but things were off to a promising start.

**Author's Note:**

> So that's that. Please leave kudos/comments. I love reading your feedback. I hope to expand on this adventure of theirs. I might skip around and just do snippets of them on their journey. Not entirely sure yet.


End file.
